ARRI Amira update (sort of)
Back at the IBC show ARRI announced a new digital documentary camera, the Amira. It would be based on the sensor of the original Alexa, but other than that, ARRI was rather cagey about what it would cost or even when it would ship.

We got our hands on an Intel E5-2667 V2 8-core 3.30GHz with 25MB Cache processor, installed it in the new Mac Pro and have done some benchmarking to get an early look at the performance vs. the stock Apple / Intel E5-1650 V2 6-core 3.50GHz with 12MB Cache model.

It turns out that the main difference between the two Thunderbolts is that version 2 has channel bonding and full DisplayPort 1.2, for full 4K video support. Whereas Thunderbolt 1 has 4 independent 10 Gb/s channels, Thunderbolt 2 combines these to give 2 20 Gb/s bidirectional channels. This leads to more efficient transfers, with less overhead, but the total bandwidth is unchanged.

The feature I like the most about Final Cut Pro X 10.1 is that Apple is committed to the program. They did not need to add all the features they did, nor as fast as they did. In fact, they could kill the entire program and not lose one iPhone sale. The fact they keep improving the program, and talking to users about what more they need to do, is a huge reassurance to me.

Several news organizations now examine the accuracy of big releases as if they were campaign advertisements, and it's not just biographies that are subject to strict scrutiny. Even the makers of the fictional thriller "Gravity" have been forced to explicate their scientific research.

Friday, January 03, 2014

Letus posted the following to their Facebook page about the new anamorphic adapter for the GoPro that they teaser yesterday:

Letus AnamorphX-GP (left), Letus AnamorphX for 35mm lenses (right)

Here's a few specs for the AnamorphX-GP:

1.33x squeeze factor

Custom CNC aluminum housing

Use the GoPro 3+ waterproof housing for mounting. The adapter replaces the waterproof lens housing element. The unit will retain waterproof property.

In 1080 mode, when the Letus AnamorphX-GP is attached, it will convert the 16:9 aspect ratio into 2.39:1 aspect ratio without the need for cropping (post production de-squeeze is required).

In super-view mode the GoPro records in 4:3 aspect ratio and digitally stretch the image into 16:9 aspect ratio (dynamic stretching: http://gopro.com/support/articles/what-is-superview). The center of the image is kept same but the outer of the image is progressively stretched outward and that is what causes the distortion, especially on the edges. This is why GoPro does not recommend shooting people on the edges in superview mode for the distortion will make people on the side look much fatter than they really are. When use with the Letus AnamorphX-GP, the extra 1.33 field of view will then create a 16:9 image that compensate for this digital stretch. As a result, the GoPro in super-view mode with Letus AnamorphX-GP yields a true 16:9 image where you can see people (objects) on the edges to have a more normal aspect (not stretched). You can use the 16:9 images in superview mode with the Letus AnamorphX-GP adapter as is and will not need to be de-squeezed in post.

I must admit, I'm intrigued. And if I read this correctly, when shooting in regular 16:9 mode, you get an anamorphic image (you have to de-squeeze it in post to get the correctly sized image.) But if you have the GoPro shoot in the 4:3 Super-view mode (which is a new feature of the Hero3+ Black), it actually sort of fixes the distortion of the resulting image (which is stretched to 16:9.) That's kind of interesting.

Here’s the speed of the Mac Pro talking directly with its internal flash drive. Holy smokes! I have never measured speeds this fast — BUT, even this speed does not fully load a single Thunderbolt 1 pipe. The new Thunderbolt 2 protocol, which the Mac Pro also supports, is more than twice as fast as the internal flash drive.

The DIY PC route is still going to be more affordable. If we go the Ivy Bridge E route and opt for a Core i7-4930K, you get more cores than either of the options above for around $600 for the CPU. Adding in another $330 for a motherboard, $180 for 12GB of DDR3-1866 memory, $1400 for two W7000 GPUs and $220 for a fast SATA SSD (Samsung 840 Pro) we’re at $2730 for a configuration that would cost at least $3499 from Apple.

Hardware & Software

The Center Crop Mode is one of the highlights of the new v3.0 update. The new feature takes a crop from the center of the 4K Super35 sensor, making it possible to use Super 16mm lenses and shoot in XAVC HD, XAVC 2K, SStP, and 2K RAW. RED cameras have had this feature for years, and it’s something I’ve always felt the F5 and F55 had been missing.

Prior to doing this test, I discussed with Beachtek about how to adjust the input of the Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera when used with the DXA-SLR PRO, given the fact that (at least as of publication time of this article), there are no internal audio meters in this camera. Beachtek stated that with the current firmware, we should be setting the camera input to maximum input for best results.

The deliverable requirements for most TV shows and features are to create a so-called composite mix (in several variations), along with separate stems for dialogue, sound effects and music. A stem is a submix of just a group of component items, such as a stereo stem for only dialogue.The combination of the stems should equal the mix.

My numbers show me that artists on a sustained 10-hour schedule will be able to accomplish about 5.5 hours of task per 11 hours of pay. Congratulations to me, I have managed to double the cost of making visual effects and slow down production, exactly the opposite of what I should be doing.

Business

Part Three: “We’ve turned into a nation of grazers. And the artist’s job is to constantly be at the smorgasbord. Not to deliver one big meal that is picked at and thrown away, but to constantly provide tantalizing bites to the public.”

Then in 2011, the US studios showed up again. This time they tried to take advantage of emergency legislation needed to help Christchurch earthquake victims by attaching bills that would grant them the power without due process to disconnect internet access of anyone they suspect of piracy.

Hot on the heels of his apology in the clouds, Shia Labeouf has provided additional proof that he should probably shut up for a while. The Beef recently did an email interview with BleedingCool, in which he asserted that “authorship is censorship” in a series of misspelled missives when asked to defend his plagiarism.

Philip compares the Digital Bolex to the Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera, so here's another review of that:

Taking a look at the Pocket Cinema Camera from Blackmagic Design. Is this the perfect camera for low budget filmmakers? It's a quirky little camera that packs a big punch, but there are some set backs to be aware of.

What is the Digital Motion Picture Centre Europe and how you can make the best of this place to learn, test workflows and meet our experts.The latest amazing updates of our F5 and F55 CineAlta CamerasMeet Steve Lawes and hear his feedback and experience when shot "Earth Air Fire Water", first 240fps short movie on the F55.

Conclusions: Center Scan mode at first does not seem as sharp as the Full Scan mode but from my tests I can attest that the center scan mode does not suffer from any aliasing or other types of articating which is GREAT news.

As I’ve become a more network-focussed photographer, I’ve come to love using the smartphone as an editing surface; touch is perfect for photo manipulation. There’s a tactility that is lost when you edit with a mouse on a desktop computer. Perhaps touch feels natural because it’s a return to the chemical-filled days of manually poking and massaging liquid and paper to form an image I had seen in my head.

Not yet convinced that this will be the year of 4K? Canon just dropped the price of the C500 down to $20K. For the next three days you can buy it for $16,999 at B & H thanks to $3,000 in instant savings.

If that's still too rich for you, the C100 is now $4,999....makes you wonder what will be coming at NAB...

Meanwhile, looking for something to read? The Village Voice asks 'Who is Kickstarter for, anyway?" and wonders whether celebs should be using crowdfunding to make their films. I think we already had that discussion earlier in the year, but it's probably worth revisiting.

Earlier in the year someone joked to me that a cheap way to rent a camera is to hire someone with no experience who has gear and is willing to work for practically nothing. You get the camera at a discount price and it comes with someone to schlep it around! Just don't let them actually operate the camera.
So I found this tweet from Matt Jeppsen kind of amusing, quoting from some job posting he come across: “Looking for DP for a couple low budget commercial shoots. Rate $300-450/day. MUST come with Epic or Scarlet & lens package.” That's actually cheaper than you'd pay to rent a RED Epic on it's own (never mind lenses.)

The New Year is a time for reflection, so read this piece from Jonah Kessel at News Shooter, who is trying to stop working so much and get his life in balance.

Finally, in 2011 Neil Gaiman made a simple wish for everyone; "I hope that in this year to come, you make mistakes. Because if you are making mistakes, then you are making new things..."

YEAR!

Tuesday, December 31, 2013

You’ll learn how to color correct and grade your sequence. You’ll learn how to refine the color and exposure of video footage. You’ll also learn how to use Lookup Tables in order to quickly apply a style to several clips. The Photoshop editing interface is easy to learn and master.

That said, the scene where Smaug chases Bilbo about the mountain of treasure is jaw-dropping and obviously took a lot of work. Yet the barrel escape scene seems more straight forward. That intricate blend of 4K footage and GoPro shots is thanks to Weta.

There's a certain audience that will notice the higher quality and there's also an audience that thinks their analog TV looks 'pretty good'. Over the time the former group will most likely become larger. The generation that the old one's call 'digital natives' does see a difference between a basic camcorder and an HD image with a shallow DoF. That's probably why the DSLR hype was so popular amongst most YouTubers.

The problem with most LED lights (and not just the 1×1 style) is that they tend to give quite a harsh light. Instead of the light coming from one single source LED lights rely on lots of small bulbs to create a larger source.

A big addition to After Effects CS6 was the introduction of a Ray-traced 3D composition renderer that handles reflections, transparency, index of refraction, environment maps, in addition to the existing material options. Today in Creative Cloud CC, the chief limitation is still render time, but there's set-up advice for those willing to endure the obstacles for the lovely renders.

I’ve had several photographer friends try to justify to me that they can use copyrighted music in their slideshows. That it’s acceptable. Other times, the shoe is on the other foot… as those same photographers explain how their rights are being violated by websites.

Jordan and Hollyn begin their talk by demonstrating this, as well as explaining a few basics tenets of aesthetic theory. To quickly explain, elements inside the frame catch the viewer’s attention using several different kinds of aesthetic energy: light, color, space, motion, brightness, focus, etc.

The In-Joke: Ray Stantz comes bursting out of the haunted house, looking distinctly shaken. “Who you gonna call?” he muses. “Someone else!”Why It’s Great: It’s actually Dan Aykroyd, decked out in full Ghostbusters regalia, right down to the “Stantz” label on his chest. How’s that for a cameo?

I had tried to run my MKE600, Tascam DR-100 and a lav mic straight to the BMPCC with no luck. But this works, costs only 70 Bucks and gives you audio meters!

Monday, December 30, 2013

Audio is the only major weakness of the camera. The internal pre-amps are poor, the circuits are noisy, monitoring it is tricky and there’s hardly any audio features.
But considering how much hassle, manpower, time and expense is saved with other areas using the Pocket in a pure directing sense like a viewfinder with a record button, it isn’t much to ask to have a sound guy on location with you.

Thats when I realised the difference. I thought my MX was broken…. It just looked …. old. Its a funny thing with technology, you don’t notice an improvement as being that huge until you take a step backwards in generation. I love the current MX, but I just met its successful, smarter, hotter, younger sister.

Prior to version 3 of the F5 and F55 firmware, Cine-EI was only available in raw mode with the R5 recorder attached. Now from version 3 onwards Cine-EI operation can be selected in both raw and non raw modes. You no longer need to have the R5 attached to use Cine-EI. EI stands for “Exposure Index”.

For Mom, the desire for a filmic look was one reason for choosing the F55 and its larger, 35mm sensor. The F55’s other attributes include a native ISO of 1250, which can result in less image noise with similar lighting scenarios. The S-log2 format is also a key component, recording a richer image with higher dynamic range and greater latitude.

The Micro Four Thirds system, with a sensor size equivalent to a 4/3-inch video tube, allows filmmakers to achieve a shallow depth of field that is cinematic and less like video, yet is also versatile and easy to focus. Shooting on 35mm or the digital equivalent sensor means as shallow and selective focus as possible, but it also means that keeping the image in focus can be a real challenge.

Audio mixing still does not compare to what all one can do in Premiere. For concerts, we have a professional mix all of our audio out of program and deliver a finished and mixed .WAV file. The integration with Logic Pro X in the previous release of FCP X is nice, but still leaves much to be desired.

DON’T get frantic. This is a big no-no. If your assistant director is not worried about time, then you shouldn’t be either. It’s not your job to worry about those things. It’s your job to get the movie done.

I made the film below using my Canon S110 with no accessories and using the built-in mic. As always with a camera like this, exposure, sound and focus always cause problems. I filmed interviews so close to the interviewee that the sound would pick up. I also had to be careful what backdrop I used because the camera’s auto exposure isn’t great and will hunt a lot before it is happy.

In the old days, filmmakers flocked to Hollywood for its abundant sunshine, beautiful people and sandy beaches. But today a new filmmaking diaspora is spreading across the globe to places like Vancouver, London and Wellington, New Zealand.

The difference between good video and poor video often comes down to stability and lighting. While hand-held video on your smartphone is fine for many situations, often it is too shaky, which can lead to distracting, unusable footage.

Animography - Animated fonts.I posted a link to this a while back, but I still find them intriguing.

Philip Bloom is playing with the Digital Bolex and he posted a sample file, which was graded by RA VisualWorks here:

Firstly, it's pictured from the opposite side of the house to that seen in the movie. That feels a bit wrong because you never see that side of the house in the move; I guess that does give the artist some extra room to play given that the house doesn't exist.

Still, there's definitely some problems compared to the "actual house;" for example, in the poster the front section of the house is at the same level as the back section, but in the movie it appears to be lower than the back section, though that could be an optical illusion.

More troubling is the placement of the stone structure next to the end of the front section of the house (the red line in the image above). If you compare it to the poster, the artist seems to have placed a stone column on the opposite side of the house at the same location - relative to the "front" of the house - as the column on the visible side of the house.

The problem with that is that if you look at shots of the interior of the house, you'll see that there is actually a fireplace on the opposite side of the house that extends further towards the front of the house.

This can be seen in the following images; first the left-hand side of the room, with the stone wall, windows, and first wooden column.

Note the location of the rug, which is just forward of the end of the stone column on the left-hand side of the room. Looking at the right-hand side of the room (below) there is a fireplace that extends further along that wall, well past the end of the rug.

The width of the fireplace can be seen very clearly from this angle:

So I think the poster is wrong!

But perhaps most troubling of all, is that I actually noticed this, and bothered pointing it out.